Entertainers to take part in charity baseball game

TAIPEI -- Entertainers from Taiwan and South Korea will take part in a charity baseball game in Taichung on March 16, as part of a collaborative effort with Taiwan's Tourism Bureau to promote travel through sports exchanges.

"Whether its charity games or competitive matches, the more sports events held between Taiwan and other countries, the more the world will learn about us," said Cheng Yi-ping, a section chief at the bureau's International Travel Division.

The South Korean baseball team of 20 players will include Kim Chang Ryul of the hip-hop group DJ DOC, who will also take part in an autograph session and a meet-and-greet after the game.

The Taiwanese team will be led by comedian Peng Chia-chia.

All the money raised from the free game at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in central Taiwan will be donated to charities for autistic children, the bureau said.

The bureau is also planning to organize a "Taiwan Day" next month, in collaboration with the Houston Rockets basketball team, as part of the efforts to give Taiwan greater visibility.

The team's point guard Jeremy Lin, the first NBA player of Taiwanese descent, will be a major attraction, and banners bearing the slogan "Taiwan — The Heart of Asia" will be displayed at the stadium, the bureau said.